Current devices of this type are inflatable and lack a means to control rotation of the device as it slides down. There are also issues with weight. For example, there are carriers wherein the device consists in a generally circular shaped hull fabricated in two sections with a surrounding flotation bumper and separate redundant flotation material in the bottom of the hull. A multiplicity of inwardly facing high-backed seats are disposed around the inner periphery of the hull with a circular hand-hold in the center.
Another prior art consists in a ride having a spin mechanism which makes use of elements of the slide, or water course wherein the spin mechanism includes a movement retarding surface along one wall of the water course and a movement expediting surface along an opposite wall of the water course. The movement retarding surface is provided with a high friction coating which retards sliding movement in a downstream direction of the surface of the raft which contacts the movement retarding surface, and induces rotation of the raft and movement towards the opposite wall. As the raft rotates into contact with the movement expediting surface it encounters no frictional resistance, and the spin is accelerated by the force of gravity acting on the mass of the raft as it moves downhill.
Yet another prior art ride includes a motor intended to be used for motorized boating and for forming-up with adjacent similar boats to form a continuous and contiguous mat of boats for socializing, fishing etc. The adjacent boats interlock and form an array of such boats all interlocked with one another. The boats may be shaped in planform as hexagons or other polygons but are preferably regular polygons which interlock without leaving gaps between adjacent boats. Each boat has a center well in which is mounted a motor.
The prior art uses many different components which make them heavy, cumbersome and costly to manufacture. Also, their complicated designs requires extensive maintenance and may make them unreliable.